Monday, January 27, 2014

Roasted Cauliflower and Gruyere Soup

Another weekend with temperatures in the teens. Another pot of soup. I've actually been eating soup almost every day this winter but a lot of times I just get lazy and toss everything in a pot. The result is good and warm and comforting. But, when I take the time to do it right, I can develop layers of deep flavor.

Take this soup, for example. I've made cauliflower soup by just tossing the florets into the stock and cooking them down but here I took the extra step of roasting them beforehand. Roasting brings out the most wonderful, almost smokey flavor of this vegetable and that layer of flavor was completely evident in the final soup. Sauteing the onions and garlic before adding them to the stock added more depth as well. A little bit of extra work but a lot of extra flavor. Enjoy!

Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the cauliflower is a light golden brown.

While the cauliflower is roasting, add the olive oil to a large soup pot along with the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat until very lightly caramelized. Deglaze the pot by whisking in the chicken stock. Add the roasted cauliflower and bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using either a regular or a stick blender, puree the soup as little or as much as you like. Stir in the milk, scallions and cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot and garnish with a little extra cheese and some crumbled bacon, if desired. Makes approximately 8 servings.

The first time I had cauliflower soup was years ago in San Francisco and the funny thing is that there was a small earthquake right when I was eating the soup. My ears were popping like crazy and I didn't know what was going on. Only until we got back to the hotel that we found out what had happened.